Seven samurai

This epic masterpiece is about a group of 16th century samurai who are hired to defend a small Japanese village that finds itself annually raided by an army of bandits who steal the meager crops harvested by the peasants. Tired of relinquishing their food supply but woefully inept in combat skills, the villagers decide to hire a band of samurai to protect them. In addition to the primary conflict between the villagers and the bandits, much of the tale revolves around young Katsushiro's coming-of-age, both sexually and emotionally. Kikuchiyo's search for acceptance forms the other major storyline. Indeed, everyone in Seven Samurai is searching: for adventure, for experience, for freedom from their oppressors.

Was the inspiration for the western film, The Magnificent Seven. Widely considered one of the greatest films of all time by one of the greatest directors of all time. Over 3 hours of every emotion that humans can express. The struggles of the lower rungs of society have never been better put to celluloid, no matter the time period. Now on Blu-Ray at VPL!

The best part is the last battle strategy and enactment. They used real horses in mud and rain. Crazy. I have watched this many times over and I know the ending. But each time I watch it, I see something new. The action sequenes are always immensely exciting every single time.
There are slow parts, but the battle scenes make the movie totally worth it.

This is a 1954 Japanese action-adventure film directed by Akira Kurosawa.
It tells the story about a 16th-century farm community led by a band of samurai warriors defending itself against a marauding army.
It is a breath-taking and fast-moving movie with a delightfully self-mocking sense of humor.